CM 30, MARQUETTE 0: Eagles pull away from Marquette in second half

CM pulls away from Marquette after halftime

Civic Memorial’s David Lane, right, hauls in a 37-yard touchdown pass over the top of Marquette’s Jeremy Strebel during the fourth quarter of Friday night’s season opener in Bethalto. CM won the game 30-0.

BETHALTO — It took a half, but once Civic Memorial settled in, the result was domination in Friday night’s season-opening game against Marquette Catholic.

CM pulled away from a scoreless halftime tie, scored on its first four possessions of the second half and rolled to a 30-0 nonconference victory at Hauser Fiueld.

“We kind of lit the boys up a little at halftime,” first-year CM coach Mike Parmentier said. “I think our guys thought all we had to do was show up, but Marquette has a good team and they are well-coached. But I thought we played really well in the second half.”

The Eagles scored on all but one possession in the second half – and appeared poised to score on their other one as time expired.

Cory Price led the Eagles’ new-look ground attack, The senior running back carried the ball 20 times for 111 yards.

“He played a heck of a game, Parmentier said. “We have two really strong options back there. Camryn Gerhardt also had a great game running the ball.”

Marquette turned the ball over four times – twice in each half.

“I was disappointed in the letdown we had in the second half,” Marquette second-year coach Darrel Angleton said. “It was rough.

“I thought we executed our game plan well in the first half. But (CM) started to control the line of scrimmage in the second half.”

After a first half that included a pair of missed scoring chances by each team, the Eagles wasted little time taking the lead in the third quarter.

After forcing Marquette to punt on its opening possession of the second half, the Eagles took over the ball on the Explorers’ 42-yard line and needed just six plays to find paydirt.

Gerhardt finished the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run off right tackle. His two-point conversion run made it 8-0 with 7:12 remaining in the third.

On the ensuing Marquette possession, CM’s David lane intercepted a McAfee pass and returned it to the Explorers 10-yard line. two plays later, Eagles quarterback Brayden Pierce scored on a quarterback dive . Gerhardt’s second two-point conversion made it 16-0 with 4:08 left.

Three plays later and the Eagles were back in business. They forced a Marquette punt, then drove the ball 68 yards in eight plays.

This time it was Price who scored. He carried the ball in from three yards out on the second play of the fourth quarter. Pierce then hit Lane with a two-point conversion pass to make it 24-0.

The CM defense was again throttled Marquette in the Explorers’ next possession – forcing yet another punt without allowing a first down. n fact, the Explorers didn’t make a first down the entire second half.

After taking the ball ver on their own 21-yard line with 8:51 remaining, the Eagles marched the ball downfield for their final score.

Pierce hit Lane with a 37-yard touchdown strike. Lane went high for the ball and stripped the ball from Marquette defender Trevin Swingler

“(Lane) had a great game,” Parmentier said. “He went up for a jump ball with the defender and made a really good play.”

In the first half, each team had a shot deep in opposition territory, but came away empty-handed. Early in the second quarter, the Explorers’ Swingler intercepted a Pierce pass in the end zone and returned the ball to his own 25. On the ensuing Marquette possession, the Explorers’ D’Avion Peebles, going for extra yardage, fumbled the ball away at the Eagles’ 14-yard-line.

“Our turnovers hurt,” Angleton said. “We get the ball inside the 25, we’re going to usually get some points.

“We obviously have things to work on, but there were positives, too. We executed well in the first half and we just build on that. This is the kind of loss that you can recover from.”

Civic Memorial’s David Lane, right, hauls in a 37-yard touchdown pass over the top of Marquette’s Jeremy Strebel during the fourth quarter of Friday night’s season opener in Bethalto. CM won the game 30-0.

http://thetelegraph.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_827CMmarq-2.jpgCivic Memorial’s David Lane, right, hauls in a 37-yard touchdown pass over the top of Marquette’s Jeremy Strebel during the fourth quarter of Friday night’s season opener in Bethalto. CM won the game 30-0.